BRIEFING ON UPCOMING KYRGYZSTAN ELECTIONS

WASHINGTON—Senator Benjamin L. Cardin (D-MD), Chairman of the Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe (U.S. Helsinki Commission), and Co-Chairman Congressman Alcee L. Hastings (D-FL) announced today they will hold a briefing on:

“Kyrgyzstan before the Election”

Thursday, June 18, 2009, 2:00 p.m.

Room: 1539 Longworth House Office Building

In the early years of this decade, political differences in Kyrgyzstan were often expressed in the form of protest movements, the most successful of which was the Tulip Revolution of 2005. In the last two years, however, President Kurmanbek Bakiev has largely managed to quash street politics and consolidate his own power, with the executive branch also securely in control of parliament. Preparations are currently underway for pre-term presidential elections scheduled for July 23. The purpose of the briefing is to examine the political environment in the run-up to the election and the overall state of democratization and human rights in Kyrgyzstan.